What's up, Pussycat?
by josiesriverdale
Summary: A trio of connected one-shots that explores the relationship between Josie and Reggie.
1. Chapter 1

"Mantle, man, I bet you $20 dollars that you're too much of a _pussy_ to make a move on Josie," Chuck said to Reggie, nodding at where she stood, rifling through the contents of her bag beside her open locker across the hallway. Summer break was officially over and a flow students bustled through the Riverdale High building once more with pep.

"Josie?" Moose repeated. "That's Mayor McCoy's daughter."

"Yeah, and she's a part of that band," the football coach's son guffawed, turning back and waggling his eyebrows at the two guys, "The Pussycats. Meow!"

The three of them descended into a fit of sniggers. Moose punched Reggie's arm, egging on his friend and chuckling heartily, "Dude you better go catch that Pussy!"

"C'mon, bro. It'll be easy, no woman can resist the Monster Mantle!" Reggie grinned arrogantly overtly gesturing toward his manhood and making a provocative thrusting motion which caused the two football players to burst out laughing once more. Their chortles amped up his ego and he nodded eagerly with a smirk, his chest puffed up pompously and he swaggered over to where Josie was stood, still unaware of what was going on and preoccupied with sorting out her bag. He weaved in between the other teenagers strolling by and standing around idly, licking his lips, taking a moment to make sure his snap back was in place and intentionally contracting the muscles in his arms so that his guns looked bigger and beefier.

When he finally reached her, the football player leaned against the row of closed lockers, cockily crossing his arms and presenting his cleverly thought-up line, "What's up, Pussycat?" He leaned closer a fraction, sending her a smouldering look, clenching his jaw just right. "The name's Mantle. Reggie Mantle." There was no possible way she would be able to resist that. _He had this in the bag._

The girl stopped what she was doing, glancing up, gracing him with her cool gaze. Her dark and serious eyes raked up and down his toned form. Her full, perfectly glossed lips pursed in thought as her silent appraisal went on for a couple moments too long; Josie McCoy was intimidatingly gorgeous. Tinges—ever so tiny tinges—of self-doubt began to trickle into the Riverdale Bulldog's mind, _it's a good thing I've been working out over the summer! She's totally checking me out—right?_

"Josie." She eventually replied, introducing herself in curt disinterest. Her tone was delicate and musical. Her head cocked to the side, prompting him to continue by asking, "Can I help you with something?"

 _Time to go in for the kill._ "Yeah," Reggie paused for a second, an overbearing confidence consuming his demeanour. "I have this _itch_ that I'm really hoping you could _scratch_ for me." He emphasised his words, bringing his sexual innuendo the forefront of their conversation.

Chuck and Moose's laughter had reached an unbearably loud volume and Josie looked away from him, over his broad shoulder, to see both boys chortling into their fists like rapid hyenas, in complete hysterics as they watched their team mate's shameless wooing tactics.

Simultaneously rolling her eyes and letting out a huff of disgust, the lead Pussycat slammed the door of her locker shut, the sharp and abrupt collision of metal catching the football player by surprise and making him jump is surprise.

She turned to walk away, adjusting the strap of her messenger bag and sticking her nose up in the air, refusing to say another word to him.

Chuckling he amusement, he cooed, "Aww Josie I'm only playi—"

She whipped around faster than a tornado, her curls springing and dancing in the air and framing her face. With a single poised finger prodding into his chest, she had him backed against the lockers. The frosty metallic surface seeped through the material of his shirt, chilling his skin whilst she looked him dead in the eye, asserting in a crisp and strong voice, "Look, I know this whole situation is probably very difficult for your thick, testosterone drenched, Neanderthal skull to comprehend, so I'm going to spell it out in simple terms for you. I'm. Not. Interested. I will _never_ be interested. That clear enough for you, bro?"

Josie was beautifully fierce, and despite the fact that she had completely torn into him Reggie was…kinda turned on. It was hot. _Really hot._

Their heated exchange had certainly caught people's attention and the noise level of the hallway had lowered down to quiet hushes and whispers, some teens were out rightly staring and others digging around for their cell phones to Instagram and SnapChat the public confrontation.

Reggie could feel this blood rushing with both exhilaration and embarrassment. Nodding in response and holding up his hands in a mocking surrender, he playfully joked, "My Pussycat's got claws, huh?"

"Fuck you, Reggie!" Josie exclaimed incredulously in response, spinning around and strutting away once and for all.

Chuck made his way over to where she had left Mantle, shoving his way through the traffic of students who had frozen to watch. He was wholeheartedly entertained by the spectacle that had unfolded and eager to stir the pot. Smiling wolfishly and cupping his hands by his mouth he called after Josie, " _Meow! Meow_!" Even throwing in some hissing sound effects and Moose joined in, unable to contain his chortles.

The Pussycat didn't spare the three of them the pleasure of a backward glance, continuing to stroll regally down the hall. Students parted like the Red Sea to let her saunter by and her skirt swished around her shapely legs in unison to the clacking of her heels against the linoleum floor, leaving the scent of sassy Strawberry perfume in her wake.


	2. Chapter 2

The writings on the paper smudged and blurred into unrecognisable blobs the longer Josie McCoy stared down at them.

 _Shit_ , she was crying. Blinking rapidly, the young woman tried to hold her raw and unfiltered emotion back, but it was no use. A scolding hot tear began to trickle down her cheek, followed by and another and another and another. Closing her eyes, Josie let out a ragged breath of defeat before allowing her feelings of hurt to take over in the form of heavy sobs that racked throughout her body causing her shoulders to tremble. She was tired of this middle-of-nowhere, bum-fuck town. She was tired of having to claw and scratch her way into every room. She was tired of the hate-mail that her mother got.

As she sat on the deserted bleachers facing the football field, the Pussycat cried, simultaneously letting out her frustration and upset. Val and Mel thought she was at home studying for a Calculus test and Mom thought she was practicing with the girls at the Browns'. But what Josie had really done was stay behind at school sifting through months' worth of letters addressed to her mother—Mayor McCoy of Riverdale—insulting her with racial slurs and threatening their family with sexual assault and physical violence. They were all handwritten by the exact same person and posted at the exact same time, and Josie was initially determined to find out who it was. Then a couple minutes morphed into an hour. These letters were graphic. She still had absolutely no idea who could be sending them.

"Josie?" A voice asked gently, aware that she was crying. Of all the people in Riverdale, her head shot up to see Reggie Mantle slowly making his way up the bleachers toward her. Quickly wiping at her tear-streaked cheeks, the young woman swivelled on the bench and turned away from him completely, refusing to let him see her so fragile and broken. Her pride was still going strong. There was no way she was going to let Riverdale High's resident douche-bag see her like this. "Hey," Josie felt him place a hand on her shoulder causing her to stiffen, "What's up Pussycat?"

"Err, it's nothing," she denied, desperately trying to remove any remaining evidence of tears from her cheeks and folding the sheets of paper in half, her back still turned. "There's nothing to see here, Reggie."

She took in a deep breath before prepping herself to turn back around. Reggie had already taken a hesitant seat beside her, looking at her with an expression of concern. Josie sent him a tight-lipped smile, eager to convey that she was 100% fine despite her bloodshot eyes. She and "Monster Mantle" were _not_ friends. Sure, she may have gone clubbing with him, Veronica Lodge and Kevin Keller, but that didn't mean they were close. They hadn't exchanged any more than two words to each other the entire night and she was there to relax and have fun, momentarily forgetting about all the pressure she felt from her parents. From her father. "Hey, um, don't cry." The guy soothed, awkwardly patting her shoulder in an uncertain attempt to comfort her.

The Pussycat hadn't even realised that a whole new wave of tears had started to stream down her face. She looked down, holding a hand to her mouth as her composure crumbled for the second time.

"Err..um…" Josie felt Reggie fidget and shuffle on the bench beside her. Suddenly, his large and beefy hand placed itself softly underneath her chin and brought her head up so that her the vulnerability of her face was exposed. He tenderly wiped away the liquid tracks with his thumbs and their eyes met. Instead of being boastful and full-of-himself, Reggie Mantle was being _nice_. It was—it was freaking weird. Immediately, the young woman violently flinched away from his touch. Sliding along the bleacher row, she purposefully put some distance between them. _What the hell was that?_ "Something's clearly bothering you," the football player sighed, just as flustered as she was. "What…what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the other Pussycats, doing Pussycat stuff?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" She repeated, looking out across the green expanse of the high school field then back at him again. Cocking her head to the side, she redirected the very same question back at him and narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Football practice. I saw you sitting up here by yourself," he explained simply. Josie noticed that he was still wearing his Riverdale Bulldog football gear. His tan skin was covered in a sheen of sweat and his chest still heaving after a physical work out whilst his muscly six foot frame was covered with pads and protectors.

Josie glanced away, looking across the now empty field, deliberating over whether or not to tell him the truth. She hadn't told anyone—not even Val and Mel. "I-It's my mom," she confessed. "She's been getting a lot of hate mail." Holding up the tightly folded sheets of paper, the girl let out a dark scoff. She reluctantly handed them to him, unable to watch as he hesitantly he opened up the wad of papers to read the hateful notes scrawled and riddled with racial slurs and derogatory remarks along with graphic imagery.

"She's been getting them ever since she was elected Mayor. When the first one came through our letter box, we were like "whatever", but then they kept getting sent to us. Each time-"Josie paused abruptly upon hearing a crack in her tone of voice. She took a moment to breath, focusing on the green. Green was the colour of growth. She was strong. She could do this. "Each time they get more violent and more hurtful. I know they're probably just someone's angry words, but the smallest, tiniest part of me is scared that maybe someone out there really wants to do these things to us…"

Reggie didn't say anything for a while, and out of the corner of her eye Josie could see him looking at her. She finally allowed herself to look back, trying to cipher whether his complex gaze was one of sympathy or understanding. His jaw clenched—hard—and he broke eye contact, mirroring her previous actions and looking across the football field.

"My, err, my grandparents went through something similar when they first moved to Riverdale from Indonesia," he admitted quietly. "They would get harassed, racist letters, people whole shouting stuff at them from across the street," he swallowed thickly, and Josie's subtle eyes dipped to assess the bobbing of his Adam's apple. "It was pretty bad."

Josie nodded.

He peeked sideways at her and they shared a silent look of understanding. He got it.

She started to realise that Reggie Mantle, the notoriously obnoxious jock and captain of the Riverdale Bulldogs wasn't as hard and as tough as he always made out to be. She realised that behind his exterior of hyper masculinity and sexual conquest, there was a teenage boy aching in the exact same way that she is. She realised that her initial impression of him had been wrong.

Then that infamous smirk was back and he offered her a closed fist, holding it out in front of her and waiting expectantly.

The Pussycat squinted. Was he really expecting her to spud him right now, after such a serious and heartfelt conversation?

"You just gonna leave me hangin'?" He chuckled softly. Sighing and shaking her head, Josie slowly clenched her own hand into a tight fist and bumped it against Reggie's, rolling her eyes at how his broad hand flew into a flurry of elaborate and immaculate movements, forming some sort of boyish secret handshake before falling onto his lap. "It's good to see you smiling again, Pussycat."

"I'm not smiling you are," she instantly replied coolly, pointing at the Cheshire cat grin slathered across his stupid smug face. Yet, she did nothing to regulate the goofy-ass grin that was present on her face as she was unable to fight the infectious energy that was coming from him. It was ridiculous to think that Reggie Mantle—of all people—had stopped her crying and created the juxtaposing emotion of happiness within her.

The guy shrugged cockily, jokingly sassing, "Just admit it Josie, you're in love with me."

She gasped at his unashamed arrogance, her hand reaching out to shove at his heavily padded shoulder with all her might. "Shut up, bighead!"

...

 **Ross Butler was still cast as Reggie when I wrote this. I have torn feelings because he did an amazing job as Reggie and I'll miss him on screen, but I'm happy that he'll be able to pursue better roles because he barely had any screen time this season (I know he was on 13RW but still...). Hell, he wasn't even in the finale!**

 **Please don't hesitate to leave me a review! Even if it's just a few words, it still means a lot.**

 **Thank you so much to Guest and I** **nfiniteAndMortal!**


	3. Chapter 3

What's the most important part of school dances?

Was it the punch? The sickly sweet drink that tasted of an undistinguishable fruit always seemed to be present at those formal occasions along with the infamous spiking of an alcoholic beverage from a bored teenager's flask.

Or was it the lights? Light levels were essential; if they were too bright the Riverdale High gymnasium would look like a detention centre where every corner was visible to the prying eyes of the prison officers or, as they were called these days "supervisors", however if they were too dark the ambiance would be one of spilt drinks and clumsy footfall.

Could it be the dresses? The right dress could transform a girl into a princess for just a few hours…

No, it was the music.

"Again. From the top." Josie sternly instructed the Pussycats over her shoulder whilst adjusting the strap of her electric guitar. "This needs to be perfect. No messing up." Turning to face the microphone once more, the musician closed her eyes and took in a deep breath waiting for tapping of Melody's drumsticks as a cue to start their song. She visualised everything. Her audience. Her stage. The face of the iconic drum that had her name in bold font (and the Pussycats). Her outfit. It was a pre-performance ritual of sorts, the only way she get herself into the right mind frame.

The lead Pussycat heard the sound of wood smacking together coming from behind her. "One, uh-two, uh one two three."

 _Well he looks at me with those innocent eyes_

 _And says "It looks like you're wearing some kind of disguise_

 _Because your hair sticks up, you're shoes are"—_

An enthusiastic burst of claps and hollers interrupted the musical flow between Josie and the Pussycats, causing the three girls to fall out of harmonious synchrony with one another. Valerie struck an erroneous chord on her guitar, Melody missed a beat and Josie's voice trailed off as her eyes flew open. She was alert and ready to scold whoever had rudely intruded on their practice. Huffing, the girl exchanged an annoyed look with a confused Val. Homecoming Dance was fast approaching—it was tonight, in fact—and they needed to utilise every single remaining minute. What was a dance without good music? Utter crap.

"What's up, Pussycat?! _Josie_ and the Pussycats!" A boisterous call echoed throughout the unoccupied school theater, the familiarity making all the frustration instantly fizzle away. Josie's eyes surveyed the wings and the sea of seats in search of him, finally landing on Reggie as he swaggered down the central aisle in his usual confident manner, sending her an infectious smile that made the corners of her reluctant mouth twitch.

The lead Pussycat rolled her eyes at the football captain, feigning disinterest, disapproval, distaste—anything other than amusement. She could feel her friends watching her very **_very_** closely. _Focus, Josie_ , she scolded herself. Strolling to the edge of the stage, she returned his greeting with a tight closed-mouth smile and a swift nod, "Um…hey, Reggie." She looked down at him, where he'd come to a stop at the end of the pathway leading to the stage, and right by her feet. She swallowed, regulating the flush of heat that ran over her body at the mere sight of him looking up at her. At the sight of his stupid goofy-ass grin and the mischievous twinkle of his dark eyes. At the sight of his tall muscular frame that made her seem tiny in comparison and the letterman jacket that proudly hugged his finely built arms and chest. _Focus._ Coughing to clear her clogged throat, Josie spoke to him sternly, unable to bring herself to yell at him, "This is a closed rehearsal. Betty asked us to perform at the dance tonight, so we really need to practice."

"You should come as my date," the football captain suggested, resting his forearms on the stage edge and crossing them comfortably.

She just assumed he was joking at first. Shaking her head at his antics, she finally allowed herself to grin as she took to her position behind the mic center stage once more. "Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, dude."

"Seriously though, we're friends right?" Josie nodded silently, unsure where exactly their conversation was going. _Just friends_. Reggie gestured animatedly between the two of them, continuing his persuasive proposal. "I'm the captain of the Bulldogs, you're a Pussycat. We'd be, like, woah, a power couple." His chest puffed up arrogantly.

Josie's eyes narrowed at him. He was really serious about this. She didn't know how to react. Guys didn't ask her events like this—no, the effortlessly perfect, homely, ever-clear blue eyed, flawlessly pale skinned, pin-straight honey blonde haired Betty Coopers of the world got asked to school dances. That was no diss to Betty, she was gorgeous and she had been nothing but nice to her and the Pussycats. The usually poised Pussycat looked down shyly, deliberately avoiding eye contact. "Um…I dunno—"

"You know what? Yes. Yes, Reggie, Josie would absolutely love to go to the dance with you," Valerie interrupted politely, accepting the offer on her behalf. Josie her bandmate the side-eye before looking back at Melody who was nodding eagerly.

"What are you doing?" She asked them between gritted teeth. "We're performing tonight, I can't handle any other commitments."

"Girl, chill out. It's a school dance, not a concert arena tour," Melody whispered to her. "You can play both fields."

She was right. It wasn't "a concert arena tour". The lead Pussycat reluctantly agreed, taken aback by the drummer's rare moment of logic.

 _But it was an opportunity to showcase their talents, her inner Yon_ _cé reasoned._ _They never knew who would be watching._

A&R people didn't hang around at school dances though.

 _Touché._

Sighing, she turned back to Reggie pretending to be unbothered, ignoring how flustered and out her comfort zone she truly was, "Sure, I guess we could go together as friends, whatever. Now please leave, we really gotta practice."

Despite her nonchalant manner, the football player triumphantly pumped his fist in the air at the prospect of being her date. A win was a win. "Sweet!" He exclaimed. Quickly backing away toward the exit and sending her that stupid simile, he pointed at her. "I'll call you. I knew you couldn't resist."

"As _friends_ , Reggie," she reminded him, feeling embarrassed and flattered at the same time. She had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever.

"She loves me! She totally loves me." He boasted to her fellow Pussycats who were both giggling at their exchange.

…

For Josie, it was strange walking into the Riverdale High's "Blast From the Past" Homecoming dance as a regular smegular student as opposed to an entertainer. She and the Pussycats always played at these kind of events, and she realised that she rarely got to participate in them with her peers.

She stood by the entrance, observing the gymnasium from a whole new perspective. Care-free clusters of bodies pulsed to the rhythm of the unknown 80s track booming out of the speakers whilst the DJ awkwardly bobbed along behind his turntables. Josie couldn't help but feel a salty bitterness at the fact that Betty had cancelled her Mel and Val's performance to replace them with Archie freakin' Andrews. He was mediocrity in the flesh. Justin Gingerlake. An Ed Sheeran without charm or originality. But whatever. She wasn't meant to worrying about music tonight, she was meant to be 'having fun'. The lead Pussycat mustered up some courage and began to walk deeper into the dance in search of Reggie, walking by the tables dotted around the room that were draped in blue table cloths and each assigned a burst of blue and yellow helium balloons.

A vibrant flash of red caught her eye and she exchanged a cordial smile with Cheryl who was stood alone by the punch table. Then she noticed him. Mantle the Magnificent appeared to be giving himself a stern pep-talk, his head bopped up and down as he swung his arms back and forth shaking the stiffness out of his limbs and shoulders. Josie chuckled as she watched him. What the hell was he doing? Looking to the left and right, he reached into the inner pocket of his tuxedo blazer and withdrew a silver flask, taking a heart swig of the liquid courage inside. The alcoholic flask quickly returned to the confines of his jacket, and Reggie drew himself up to his full height, rubbing the palms of his hands together in anticipation.

His dark eyes navigated the hall completely missing her before doing a doing a double take. Josie was suddenly hit with a wave of nerves. _He was coming over! Act normal,_ she instructed herself sternly. She brought up a casual hand to wave at him as he sauntered over to join her, which he returned with his usual arrogant smile and a cocky nod of his head.

"Err, hey!" He stuffed his hands into his pockets, coming to a stop beside her. She greeted him back cool tone, however her words fell upon deaf ears whilst his eyes roamed over her frame. Josie felt her skin heat up as Reggie's gaze traced every possible inch of her body. From the laid edges of her braided hair, transitioning into a hot pink that matched the shade of her chi chi dress that was fitted at her waist and flared out falling just below her knees. Her pulse quickened but she played it cool.

"Are you just gonna stand there and stare at me all night?" She asked, raising an amused eyebrow at him.

His eyes widened upon the realisation had been shamelessly staring at her. "What? No, err, you look amazing."

"Oh," she uttered, taken aback by his complement. Josie loved her soft, malleable carefree fro and the melanin that blessed her smooth dark skin. She loved her own confidence and career ambition, but she occasionally got told she that it was too 'intimidating' or "aggressive". Sometimes she felt she was one of the few that appreciated her assets. His flattery was registered with uncertainty causing her to glance away bashfully. "Thank you?" She cringed at her questioning tone. _Thank you? Gosh you sound like an idiot!_

"Do you wanna dance?" He asked quickly, holding out a hand. Josie looked down at his palm of proposition for a moment, kicking herself at her sluggish attention process she nodded silently.

She placed a hesitant hand into his, allowing herself to be led into the middle of the gym where students and alumni had coupled up and were swaying in time with the cliché slow jam that was currently playing. The two of them were crippled with awkwardness, nonetheless they still fell together with ease, Josie lightly holding onto Reggie's broad shoulder whilst he placed a polite hand on the small of her back leaving a respectful amount of distance between their bodies. They were just friends after all. The Pussycat marvelled at how short she was in comparison to his massive frame-her head level with his beefy chest—and how his huge hand warmly enveloped her smaller one.

Josie peeked up at her partner to find that his features had been overtaken by an intense glare of concentration once more, his pupils black and piercing amid the rotating lights of the hall that flashed blue and gold. The Pussycats shifted uncomfortably under his close watch. He was acting really weird. Where was the douche-y, funny and larger-than-life Reggie that she knew and…

"Do you wanna take a picture of me? It'll last a hell of lot longer," she joked dryly, snapping him out of his daze for the second time that evening.

He blinked, shaking his heavy head as though he was just been roughly awoken from slumber, "Uh, yeah, sorry…" Reggie's bumbling words trailed off as he met the Pussycat's glare of apprehension.

They stared at each other for a long lingering moment.

Josie was the first to crack. She frowned at him, asking, "What is up with you? You're acting so weird."

"I already told you, Pussycat." Reggie's flirtatious façade was back. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, flashing her a killer grin. "You look hot tonight, it's got me all flustered. I can't think straight."

She couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes at that. "You are so corny."

"I know."

...

 **The End**

...

Thank you so much to everyone who's taken the time out to read and review this fic!


End file.
